New initiative will promote digital jobs in Haiti

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti — Entrepreneurs in Haiti will soon have broader access to technical skills training, because of an initiative to promote digital jobs in the country. The initiative is led by LACNIC, the Internet Registry for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Since 2013, LACNIC has strengthened the technical skills of more than 300 Haitian ICT students and professionals, through a project called Ayitic. This year, LACNIC has expanded the project.

“In this new phase, Ayitic is going global, adding important innovations such as technical courses delivered via an e-learning platform, training for women in digital data management, and efforts aimed at inserting participants in digital employment markets,” a release from LACNIC said.

Some of the new training workshops will be offered to women aged 18 to 25, enabling a target group of young female Haitian entrepreneurs to create and find jobs in Haiti and abroad.

“The goal of these transformations is that, in addition to promoting Internet development at the local level, the initiative will help promote the digital services market, creating new job opportunities in both local and international markets, in the latter case through the outsourcing of services,” noted Carolina Caeiro, cooperation project coordinator at LACNIC.

The project also anticipates the creation of an information technology cluster in Haiti led by Max Larson Henry of Transversal, which is expected to boost Haiti’s Internet infrastructure. The cluster will seek to promote initiatives that impact on the security and stability of the Haitian Internet.

Ecole Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haïti will be the local organization responsible for the project, with the support of local consultants.

Other organizations participating in the initiative include the Caribbean Open Institute of the University of West Indies, 3×3 Design and Slashroots.

The project has the support of the International Development Research Centre, a public corporation created by the Canadian government to help communities find solutions to social, economic and environmental problems.